I've just returned from a rainy hike in the forest near my home. During the Pacific Northwest winter, if you don't occasionally hike in the rain, you won't get out much. I actually like the quiet on the trails when its gray and wet outside--seems to go with my quieter mood in the post-Christmas winter.
I came home and made hot tea to go with the luscious apple waiting to be sliced for a snack. I then cleaned up the rest of the Christmas dishes, did a load of laundry and took a shower. All ordinary and cozy doings for a day off.
The common element to all these activities: Water. The deep green forest would not be so without it. Neither would be the person who made the tea or did the laundry or took a hot shower. I cannot exist without it. You and I are made of water: 60 to 75% of our composition is H2O.
I bring this to your attention because its important not to take for granted the gift we have here on the only water planet for many-to-the-nth-degree miles. This incredible blue marble, this tiny dot among zillions of drier and dustier planets and stars--how weird are we humans to not only take the waters for granted, but also pollute the very life force of our home?
And because of our weird and destructive habits, life forms such as fish and whales and trees and humans are dying.
I am a lifelong whale lover. I'm not really sure when this began, but by the time I was in my senior year in college, I was desperately seeking ways to save who I consider our conscious and intelligent brothers and sisters in the order Cetacea. I was the president of Gainesville Citizens to Save the Whales and circulated anti-whaling petitions. I even wrote a 138 page paper trying to prove the consciousness of whales and dolphins. I knew then what I know now: this water planet hosts intelligence in its waters. Yet they are suffering more than ever from the effects of human behaviors.
Locally, the southern resident pod of orcas may be going extinct. Starting in the 60s, capturing members of this pod and transporting them to parks such as SeaWorld for entertainment to the masses began the cruel decent in population. Now pesticides, industrial toxins, noise from ship and boat traffic, and lack of food (specifically salmon) are severely impacting their health. The news of the mother orca mournfully carrying her dead baby for 17 days caught the attention of the world. She is an indicator of how poorly we treat the water. Yet we keep on doing what we do, and we keep on taking for granted her watery world.
So. What can we do? There's plenty to do and plenty can be done to change habits and maybe, just maybe revive water habitats. For now, though, I invite you to join me in a meditation of healing to the waters of the world.
On December 30th, at 3:00 Pacific Coast time, I and others will join in on a Healing the Waters of the Planet ceremony and meditation. (see the event below or on the website). Let's focus on this prayer for 10 minutes to the waters of the world---including the water in our very own bodies--asking for forgiveness, sending our love, and sending healing.
Water Healing Prayer:
Dear Waters of the world. Please forgive us. We are sorry for our actions. We send you healing. We send you love. Thank you.
Donations for the in-person event will be hand delivered to the Whale Museum of San Juan Island, WA: a whale research and education institution.
I chose this organization because of my love for our brothers and sisters in the cetacean community. If we heal the waters of the planet, perhaps we can save what is left of this magnificent being. You can also donate directly, or even "adopt " a whale: https://whalemuseum.org/collections/adopt-an-orca
Thank you for every prayer and good thought. Thank you, fellow water being.
Love, Elke